I'll Walk
by CuteCat213
Summary: He jogs into your life one day, Aomine Daiki, and somehow never leaves again. Sometimes you wish he would, sometimes you beg him not to. But throughout it all, he's always there. There's a lot to be said for stubborn determination. (Reader Insert. Reader X Aomine)
1. Chapter 1

**I leave it completely open to reader interpretation as to who or if Momoi ends up with anyone.**

 **Most who read these kind of fics already know the key, but if you're new:**

 **[Y\n] = Your Name**

 **[L\n] = Last Name**

 **Fic starts at some point post-Winter Cup. The Prom is Senior Prom. Large time-skips of at least a year between most chapters.**

* * *

God, it hurt. Whose idea was this 'jogging' thing anyway? Your muscles hated you and after twenty days of your thirty-day personal challenge, it should be easier by now.

It wasn't. It still sucked. You were still too stubborn for your own good.

You disregarded the other jogger at first. "On your left," he said as he passed. You didn't give him a second thought.

The first time.

The second time, just a minute or two later, gave you pause. "On your left."

Alright. So. That was a thing that had happened.

And then it happened again. "On your left."

You slowed and then stopped in disbelief. This was just ridiculous! He could not _possibly_ have circled the whole goddamn block three times before you finished your circuit!

"On your left."

"You _asshole!"_ It'd probably have sounded a lot more genuine if it hadn't been sandwiched between bouts of laughter. As it was, you bent double with your hands on your knees trying to get your breath back and stop giggling.

(Those would be the very first words you ever said to your future boyfriend.)

He stopped and grinned back at you. "It's 'Aomine', actually. Aomine Daiki."

"[L\y] [Y\n]," you gasped out. When you finally managed to regain your breath, you straightened up and put your hands on your hips. "And what's all this?" you asked, making a circle motion to encompass the block. "Are you trying to impress me or something?"

"Is it working?"

Lips twitching amusement, you held your hand up, fingers about an inch apart. "Little bit."

"Then let me impress you some more and buy you a drink at the cafe down the street."

You knew exactly which one he was talking about. You went there every day after your morning run. (And if you got a cookie to go with your coffee, you'd _earned_ those kilocalories and anyone who implied otherwise could fight you.) His audacity was kind of charming and you were already headed that way anyway and- (And was cute. And trying to _impress you_.) "Sure. Sounds good."

"Great." His smile turned just a bit sly. "Race you there?"

Ha, he wished. "I'll walk."

xxx


	2. Chapter 2

God, it hurts.

He's gorgeous. (He always is.) And for once in your life, as you came down the stairs in that black prom dress ('My first little black dress! What do you think?') you felt like the word fit you as well. The way Daiki's eyes glittered as you spun on the stair made your heart flutter in pride.

That feeling had lasted right up until you got to the school. Until you walked into the Gym.

Until Daiki's eyes followed the first pretty girl to walk past. (It's _prom_. They all look stunning. Bright as exotic birds in their multi-colored dresses, and you're standing next to him in black.)

You smile. (It hurts.) You ask him to dance with you. And even with a light blush of embarrassment on his face, he does. For an entire song, his focus is wholly on you and you try to push the hurt down deep. (You fail.)

You watch his eyes flick away in the pause between songs. ( _Oh, God, it hurts so much._ ) This isn't new. Daiki has never been shy about his appreciation for the female form. For large chests. You always smiled and shook your head. (Maybe he fantasized about Mai, but he was yours. He... _was_ yours, right?) He's poked fun at your measurements, but he's always - _always_ \- stopped short of saying it. ' _I wish you were her._ '

But just this once, just tonight, you'd thought, maybe-

 _Maybe I can stand beside you finally._

Obviously not. Naive little girl playing at dress up.

Something cracks audibly in your chest and you stop in the middle of the dance, turning away as your mask crumbles. "Excuse me," you rasp, grasping desperately for any excuse. "Punch," is all you manage before tears clog your throat and you walk away. (And you wonder, bitterly, masochistically, if he watches you go. If you look good enough from behind to capture his attention for the moments it takes to lose yourself in the crowd. And the breaking part of your heart is suspiciously quiet about defending him.)

Satsuki catches you on your way out the door. (What does it say that your mutual friend spots you, is more concerned, than your boyfriend? It says 'I don't ca-')

You smile at her, too. It feels plastic and broken. "Sorry, can't-" She reaches for you and all you can think is ' _He belongs with someone like you.'_ Someone beautiful like Satsuki and her gorgeous mint-green gown. "I'm going," you croak out. 'Home,' you almost say, except home is out on the dance floor ogling other women.

The cool air outside is a slap to the face and it's the final straw. It's not even a wrenching, dramatic kind of crying. (Some romance heroine you'd make.) You don't sob and you don't weep. It's nothing so visible as that. It's just the shaking of your shoulders as you try to catch your breath around the painful lump in your throat and tears track near-silently down your cheeks.

A quiet kind of ruination.

"Oi! [Y\n]! What was that about- Why are you crying?!"

You're not, for just a moment, shocked out of it by the fact he followed you out. You wipe at your cheeks and turn to face him. "I'm d-done wi-ith Prom," you manage to get out with minimal hitching. "Can we jus-st go ho-ome?"

Daiki runs a hand through his hair in visible frustration. "You're the one that wanted to do this whole stupid prom-thing." Right. You'd wanted to see- Wanted to show him-

Well. Showed you.

"Sorry."

He turns away with a scoff. "Whatever. I'll get the car."

He'd opened the passenger door for you on the way over here. Proud and chivalrous and-

The handle is cold on your fingers as you pull it open and get in. The silence inside is stifling. "Did I... worry you?" He gives you a confused glance, and you go on. "When I left?"

"Satsuki told me something was wrong with you."

"Oh," you say, feeling the last vestige of hope wither in your chest. You can't get any further words out through your swollen throat as your tears begin again. Why does it _hurt_ so much?

"O-oi! Why are you crying?"

It startles a laugh out of you, wet and wretched. "I love you. I love you _so much_ , Daiki." He opens his mouth and you cut him off because if he speaks, if he says he loves you right now you're going to break into pieces so small no one will ever be able to put you back together again. "And I'm not sure you love me at all. I'm not sure you love me _enough._ You l-love wom-men too much. There's no r-room left for mee."

"Is this... is this because I was looking at other women?"

Another horrible, choked laugh. Looked at them, fantasized about them, compared you to them. _I can't,_ you realize abruptly. You can't be in this vehicle right now. Not with him. You pull in a ragged breath and force the words out, steady, "Pull the car over."

He does, turning to face you when it's parked. "I don't understand what you're crying for." You don't answer, reaching over to open the door. He grabs your other wrist. "What are you-

"I'll walk. Let go of me," you say dully. "Right now I'm hurt, and you don't-" Sharp breath to hold back the sobs that want out. _You don't understand. You don't even realize what you did._ And you can't try and explain it to him right now. The wound is too raw and if you try, you're going to bleed venom and _hurt_ all over him. You're not sure your relationship can take that right now. You know that you can't. Maybe later, maybe eventually. (Maybe.) "Just leave. Don't worry."

But for now...

You twist your wrist out of his hold. He reaches out toward you and you shut the door. The cold air doesn't feel like a slap to the face this time. It feels like the breath you couldn't pull into your lungs a moment ago.

"I'll walk."

* * *

There's a moment of stillness, but you know Daiki and you know his temperament, and as you begin walking away, you hear the car rev up and watch as he goes speeding by. You let out a shaky breath and start heading for home. The cold is a blessing, you can barely feel your feet as they protest your heels. Every breath in feels cleansing, every exhale a little less painful.

It's dark and cold. You're on foot. Your dress is black.

The truck driver never even sees you as he comes around the corner.

xxx

 **Notes:**

 **Whether Aomine was actually looking at other women or just couldn't bear to look at Reader-chan below neck-hight I leave entirely up to your discretion.**


	3. Chapter 3

Oh, God, it _hurts._

The surgery saves your life, the doctors say. It doesn't save your legs. _"May never walk again,"_ they whisper amongst themselves like you're deaf to the world.

It's a hellish mix of horror and numbness and _pain._ You've never hurt so much before and you try to move your legs. You try to wiggle your toes and you _can't_. It sends jagged shards of fire lancing up your spine that leave you screaming and have nurses rushing to push the pain button until you're too muffled and numb to do that again.

No amount of that medicine is enough to keep your lungs from squeezing in until you can't breathe.

And in the doorway of your hospital room is Daiki, pale as a sheet and shaking and just the sight of him is enough to send you over the edge.

 _This_ time you sob. This time your shoulders heave and you wail your pain to the world and Daiki is right there wrapping himself around you as much as possible. You hit his shoulders with your fists and he lets you. You scream and thrash and bite and claw and he never once wavers. He holds you while you break apart in his arms, shushes and rocks you.

You cry yourself sick and still he stays, holds your hair back while you puke and the nurses push that goddamned button again. You cry until you can't anymore, until there are no more tears and no more energy and _still_ it _hurts._ Crackles in your chest and chokes you without any way to get it out. You sob weakly into Daiki's neck and go limp at last.

Never once does he stop rocking you, and it's only completely drained that you finally have the mind to realize he's talking to you.

"Shh. It'll be alright. I'm here. I'm right here and I'm not going anywhere. I love you. I love you so much. More than anything. I'm right here." He repeats it again and again. You wonder how long he's been saying them, if he has the whole time. He presses his lips to your temple and kisses you, moves your hair out of your face and repeats it again like a mantra. "I'm here. I love you so much. I'm not going anywhere."

You fall asleep to the sound of Daiki's love, in his arms.

You wake that way, too. The light is different, your positions shifted just a bit, so he's leaned back on the bed, but his arms are still around you. And still, still, he whispers against your hair. "I'm right here." His voice is hoarse and cracking like autumn leaves, and a fresh wave of tears chokes you. It's not fair. Not fair that he can hurt you and help you and break you apart and be the only thing holding you together. It's not fair at all. You could hate him, if he wasn't so easy to love.

"You asshole," you croak. You bat weakly at his chest. _I hate you._ But you don't. Can't even say those words, not even in jest. "I love you."

You look down at your legs and it takes everything you have not to start weeping again. Biting your lower lip and digging your nails into your palms.

Daiki unclenches your hands, slips his fingers between yours. "I love you, [Y\n]. More than anything. I'm sorry. Please stay."

Your fingers spasm around his. "Don't let go."

"Never."

You pull in a deep breath through trembling lips, wanting more than anything to move your leg but _so scared_ of the pain. Of the non-response. You cling tighter to Daiki's hands, to your stupid, stubborn determination to match his insane jogging times. You hold on with everything you have.

"I'll walk," you whisper.

xxx


	4. Chapter 4

**Warning: Hella long chapter. Mild lime?**

* * *

"God, it hurts! I can't!" You let go of the parallel bars and Daiki catches you before you hit the floor.

"Come on, you can go on. You've hurt worse than this," he encourages with certainty. Daiki would know, he's the one who holds you when you wake up in the middle of the night and thrash and scream because the pain is too much. He's the one who's mopped your brow and rocked and whispered to you the whole night through.

But it's not that it hurts _more_ at the moment. It's that it hurts _always_ and the constant pain wears away at you like water at rock, stealing bits and pieces of you away that you don't notice until you're staring at the gorge where a whole woman once stood.

You flinch away from his words, from his unflagging _faith_ like it burns. It does, in a very real sense. You're so _tired._ You're tired and hurting and it's not getting _better_. None of it is getting better. It's your legs and your life and _nothing's changing._ "I'm done for the day," you say with finality. Done for the day, done for the night, done for the rest of your life. You're just so _done._

Daiki's chest raises with a disappointed sigh he doesn't let out. "Alright."

And that hurts, too. That nothing has changed and it's not getting better and you're so tired of fighting for it to. Daiki's unflinching _belief_ and hope can never be anything but painful. _Stop believing in me. Stop expecting better from me. I'm so tired Daiki. I'm so tired of trying._

Daiki helps you back into your wheelchair and runs a hand through his hair, assessing you and smiling. (Always with a smile anymore during therapy because one of you has to believe this will work and it's just not you anymore.)

 _"Unlikely to ever walk again."_ The phrase repeats itself over and over in your nightmares, and that wears at you, too. You're worn away to near nothing nowadays.

You copy the gesture, pushing your own hair back from your eyes. "You have a game soon anyway. You should get ready for that."

"I can stay home if you want. It's just-"

" _Don't,_ " you cut him off sharply. "Don't you _dare_ say 'it's just basketball', Daiki!" _I don't want you to stay home,_ you don't say. _It hurts so much to look at you keeping strong when all I want is to give up._

The silence is brittle as both of you hold back to keep from arguing, and you see the moment he gives in and looks away. ( _Stop. Don't. Please. You shouldn't ever look so defeated._ ) "Yeah. I'll go get changed."

You slump as the door closes between you. You don't cry. (You don't have the energy to.) The doorbell rings and Daiki goes to answer it with his shirt in his hand. Satsuki doesn't even look at his bare chest as she slips past and beams at you. "Hi, [Y\n]-chan~! I hope you're ready for some intense girl-on-girl action!"

You're not even surprised, only half-hoping they might leave you alone for a night from the start. Silly, really.

Daiki casts her a habitual glare. "Stop trying to steal my girlfriend from me."

Satsuki throws her arm around your shoulders and nuzzles her cheek into yours. "It won't be my fault if [Y\n]-chan comes to her senses and realizes I'm the best for her."

There's a break in the conversation and they both glance at you, somewhere between hoping and expecting you to hop in on the conversation like you have so many times before. _'Oh, Satsuki-chan, what would I do without you?'_ But you just- can't. "Are you my babysitter for the night?" you ask instead.

Daiki turns away with a determined not-expression. But Satsuki put up with Daiki all through his 'the only who can beat me is me' phase in high school and your resentful attitude doesn't bother her in the slightest, doesn't even faze her. "Of course not. I'm sure Dai-chan would stick around if he could, but unfortunately for him, _I_ have decided it's been too long since we had a Girls' Night. So he can just go off and busy himself while we play~"

"Wow, I can just feel the love," your boyfriend deadpans.

Satsuki shoots him a bright smile and utterly unconcerned ta-ta wave.

Daiki snorts in amusement, grabs the keys, and kisses you goodbye.

Your best friend turns to you with a decisive clap the moment he's gone. "Okay! I have scheduled a full night of fun, girly activities."

Momoi Satsuki on a mission. _Be afraid. Be very afraid._ You muster up what little energy you have and manage a half-hearted smile. "Alright. Give me your worst."

Satsuki's worst comprises of getting you out of your chair, onto the couch, conspicuously large quantities of popcorn, neon-bright nail polish, and something that involves her phone and the television. "Satsuki-chan, what are you doing?"

She finally gets it set up and stands akimbo with a look of pride. "Home movies~!"

"But we don't have an-"

"Oh, yes, we do," she interrupts, waving her phone like it's the solution to a hundred-year war. _Afraid._ She hooks her phone to the TV, then sits next to you on the couch, pulling your feet onto her lap to paint your toenails.

The television screen flickers, a wobbling image shows, then stabilizes, and Daiki's face appears, darker with a blush. Satsuki's voice sounds in the background, _"And we... are... rolling!"_

"Oh, my God," you whisper. It's your first date post-accident. _Oh my god._ The breath catches in your throat as Daiki sits at a table alone in a restaurant.

 _"Who's stupid idea was this anyway?"_

 _"That would be yours, Dai-chan." Satsuki's voice drops several octaves. "'I'm so frustrated. This is bullshit. I just wish I could show her everything.'_ "

 _"Will you_ _ **shut up?**_ _"_

 _She blows a raspberry at him and your laughter echoes over the speakers, your face next to Satsuki's in the tiny square at the corner of the video._

"You recorded this?" you ask.

She looks up at you, eyes bright with emotion. "You're my best friends. I love you both."

 _"It's beautiful, Daiki,"_ past you compliments. And it is. The darkened restaurant hung with fairy lights.

 _Daiki's face goes even darker. "Are you ready, Satsuki?"_

 _The pinkette makes a 'one moment' sign before stepping out of frame, then coming back with a takeaway container and setting it before you. "Ready."_

 _"And what if I don't want what you ordered for me?" you tease. "Maybe I want their famous fruit entree~"_

 _Daiki looks you dead in the eye, or lens, and says, "You're a_ _ **brat**_ _, you know that?"_

 _"I'm your brat."_

 _He covers his smile with his hand and flags down the waiter._

 _You eat dinner together, with Satsuki stealing only the occasional bite and making you laugh while Daiki rants that he didn't buy that for her the goddamn thief get your hands off [Y\n]'s dinner. With the meal done, Daiki takes you on a tour of the waterfront, camera aimed out to catch all the beautiful lights they have up for Tanabata._

 _Stars. Stars everywhere in an endless night sky with your beloved and your best friend by your side. It's the freest you've felt since being confined to a wheelchair._

 _Daiki turns the camera back to him at the end of the night and not even his bashfulness can hide the emotions in his eyes. "I love you."_

You only start breathing again when the screen goes black.

The TV flickers again and a different video starts.

A different day. The festival of flowers. Satsuki makes a peace sign at the screen and you, volunteering to be Daiki's camera-woman for the day. Your boyfriend is still just as adorably awkward.

 _"I'm not sure how I feel about going on what's basically a date with my best friend while my girlfriend watches."_

 _"Are you afraid I'm going to steal you away~?" Satsuki asks slyly. Daiki snorts but Satsuki gamely ignores him. "I could do that, you know. I could steal_ _ **either**_ _of you. Both of you, even! Lucky for you two that my heart beats only for-"_

 _"Tetsu-kun," all three of you say at the same time. Satsuki makes the most offended face and it sends you and Daiki into peals of laughter._

It's hard to breathe through the love you feel for him expanding and taking up all the space in your chest. And the shame. For being tired, for giving up. But you just don't have the energy.

You bite your knuckle as it plays out, Daiki showing you the world through the phone with Satsuki, beautiful, at his side. And he looks at the lens like you're right there with him.

"Satsuki," you ask hoarsely. "When you were out with him. Did Daiki- It's not- not very clear on with the phone. I can't see- Did he... Did he _look_ at anyone?" When he turned away from the camera, did he look at any of the woman passing him by?

She grips your ankle for a moment. " _Never_. [Y\n], he didn't look even once."

She's your best friend. But she's his, too, and for a moment, you wonder if you can trust it. If you can afford to trust her.

And then you look away and swallow hard because your chest constricts. "He should," you mutter.

Satsuki's hold on your legs goes rigid. "[Y\n], what are you saying?"

Isn't it _obvious_? You cast her a sharp glare for making you say the words. "He deserves _better_ , Satsuki. Better than a pitiful, broken cripple!" _'Is there anything you need?' 'I can stay home if you want.'_ You've become the one thing you _never_ wanted to be to Daiki.

A burden.

Daiki is a hot-blooded alpha male and you- You can't walk. You can barely move your toes. You're tired and you just want to lie down and sleep forever. He deserves better than this. Than a broken thing that saps all his energy from him and can't give anything in return.

Satsuki's hold turns almost painful before she sets your legs down. "I think there's one more video you should see."

"Satsuki-chan, I don't-"

"Watch," she orders, queuing it up.

The screen flickers and then wobbles as she bobbles the camera. She obviously hides behind something.

 _Daiki walks into a shop and then, a moment later, the camera follows, ducking low and slipping into the aisles._ It's a flower shop, you realize. Bouquets and loose flowers line the aisles in a spectacular explosion of color. _Daiki steps up to the counter, visibly uncomfortable. He looks around and the camera drops suddenly._ Satsuki hiding from him, of course. _After a moment, the camera pops back up again to catch him speaking to the woman at the counter._

 _"I need... flowers."_

 _"You've come to the right place. What would you like?"_

 _"I don't know. But they have to be-" he waves his hand. "Special."_

 _"Hmm. Well, who is the person?"_

 _"She's- She's recovering at the moment."_

 _"Ah. Well, apple blossoms mean 'better things to come'. And coronilla is for success."_

 _He shakes his head. "No. That's not-" He looks around and points to a random flower, "What's that one mean?"_

 _The shop woman's lips twitch. "That's barberry. It means 'bad temper.'"_

 _Daiki huffs softly. "Figures."_

 _"Pink camellias mean 'longing for you.'"_

 _Daiki's expression twists through several unnameable emotions before he discards it. "Not right. Not- Something else."_

 _"Red chrysanthemums mean 'I love you'."_

 _"She already knows that. I need-" He makes a restless motion as they go through several more that aren't right. "Do you have any... better flowers?"_

 _"Better... how?"_

 _"I don't know. Just... better. These aren't good enough. They need to mean- more."_

Satsuki's voice whispers in the video, _"I'm not sure they have a flower for 'whipped', Dai-chan."_

You know what he's going to get, realize that this video is from three days ago. You still have the vase of flowers sitting on the kitchen table. Had puzzled over the cheat-sheet Satsuki had texted you all day until he'd walked in the door with the flowers.

 _The flower woman smiles, seeming to understand. "I see. How about the bird of paradise flower? For faithfulness. And the balloon flower."_

 _"What does that one mean?"_

 _"Honesty, and endless love."_

 _Daiki's voice carries on the barest breath. "That's perfect."_

 _"One more."_

 _"I don't know. What do you suggest? I don't know-" he motions to all the plants around. "Flowers."_

 _"Perhaps the arbutus? That one means-"_

 _"Only thee do I love," Satsuki whispered to the phone. "I stand corrected, they do have a flower for that."_

 _Daiki gives your name to have the small vase engraved and you hear your best friend giggling behind the display of sunflowers she's using as cover._

 _"Satsuki?! What are you- ARE YOU RECORDING?! GIVE ME THAT PHONE!"_

 _"Nope!"_ There's a jostle as Daiki assumably lunges for the phone and Satsuki hikes it up out of the way. _"What's that, Dai-chan? You say I should push the 'send' button right here?"_

 _Daiki freezes and you have a perfect angle of him going pale and Satsuki's smirk from above. Then his expression smoothes. "I will give you cash money to erase that video right now."_

 _"I dunno..."_

 _"_ _ **Name your price.**_ _"_

 _"This seems pretty one-sided. The extortionist only has the power if they still have the evidence of the thing they're blackmailing with. What do you think, [Y\n]-chan~?"_

 _"This is why you're not dating Kuroko. Because you're_ _ **evil**_ _and_ _ **he's the only one who believes me.**_ _"_

It cuts off suddenly with Satsuki's phone ringing obnoxiously and she scrambles to disconnect and answer it, putting it on speaker phone.

"My phone went off. Satsuki, what's wrong? Why did you show her the video?"

She takes one look at you shaking your head. "I think you should come home now," Satsuki says, the traitor. "You two need to talk."

You flail helplessly, unable to reach her from the couch and cursing your situation with even more virulence than usual. "No! There's no need to cut your game short. We're _fine_!"

"I'm on my way now."

"NO! Dammit, Daiki! You need a life beyond me!"

"You _are_ my life, you little idiot! I'll be home in fifteen minutes."

"But-!"

"Fifteen. Minutes," he reiterates and hangs up.

He makes it in ten.

His eyes are on you the moment he comes through the door and the silence is instantly thick enough to need a chainsaw to get through. There's only one question in his gaze. _'Why?'_

Satsuki looks between you two and nods. "I'll just... go." She does look back at you though, sympathetic, but there's no mercy in her expression. "If you don't tell him, I will."

"Damn you," you say softly.

She leaves without another word, the click of the door closing far louder than it has any right to be. The tension ratchets up another level and you can feel it pressing on in on your eardrums.

"Tell me what?"

You can't look at him. "I don't know."

"Fine." There's noise, the sound of the door handle turning. "Satsu-"

"Wait!" You lurch for him in panic and manage to fall off the couch. Daiki's arms are around you before you hit the floor.

"You little idiot." With that admonition, he lifts you effortlessly into his arms and walks past your chair, carrying you to the bedroom. He returns with the chair a moment later. (Always thinking of you, always acutely aware of how limited you are and doing his best to mitigate it and why does that _hurt_ so much?)

You bite at your knuckle again to hold back the pain. You're going to break skin soon.

"[Y\n]?"

You flinch away. "Don't touch me, please."

"Then talk to me!" he stands up sharply, paces back and forth in front of the bed and digging his fingers into his hair. "What am I doing wrong?"

That's the final straw, him blaming himself for something that is absolutely _not his fault._ "Nothing! Don't you get it, Daiki? It's not _you_ , it's _me_! It's _always_ been me!"

"Then tell me _that_ because I don't understand a goddamn thing right now, [Y\n]! I touch you and you flinch away like I'm going to hit you. How did I fuck up so bad that you can barely look at me without looking like you're going to cry?"

" _Look_ at me, Daiki!"

"I _am_ looking! All I see is my everything!"

Silence descends heavily as you both pant for breath and you can feel your barriers fracturing in your hands, one by one, until you're left naked and raw. There's nothing holding back the dark, poisonous thoughts and they escape in a terrible rush.

"You can do better than me, Daiki!" you scream. You motion to your lower half in contempt. "I can't- _We_ can't _do anything._ What _use_ am I to you?" You wouldn't be able to stand the thought of doing anything intimate with Daiki even if he could. Your own body disgusts you. Your legs are scarred and wasted. You couldn't feel less desirable if you were covered in warts and the thought of Daiki touching you makes your skin crawl in the worst ways. You don't want him to see you like this!

 _You_ don't want to see you like this... _Why did this happen to me?_ Your body is a cage you can't escape and you're clawing at the walls and Daiki is _gorgeous._ You want to _touch_ him. You want to give him everything and you can barely stand to have him look at you.

" _What?_ " The word comes out sounding like it's dragged over broken glass. You've never heard him sound so _shattered_ before. "I can do _better?_ Better than what?" You look away but he doesn't let you escape, grabbing your hand in a strangling grip. "Better _how_?"

You close your eyes in defeat. "Don't make me say it."

"You're going to have to, because I'm so far away from understanding I'm on another planet."

You have nothing else left, no way to hold back, and it comes tumbling from your lips like a poison flood. "You can do _better_ than this disgusting, _withered_ , _broken_ thing. You can do better than my le- Than _me_. Than my chest." What is there left of you? Your body has been cruel and vicious to every scrap of fat left on your bones while it tries to heal. You have no chest, your legs are atrophied and almost more scar tissue than skin. There's nothing left inside this shell to hold it all together because you just don't have the strength to fight anymore. You just want it to _end_.

You jerk when Daiki flips up your skirt. Try to pull back when he picks up one of your feet.

"Stop." You try to turn, to curl up. You fail. (Because of course you do. Not even enough energy left for this.)

His touch moves up higher, caressing your ankles and you try to struggle as your breath comes shorter with the onset of panic. "Daiki, no! Stop it!"

"What are you going to do? Kick me?" he mocks and in that moment, it's easy to hate him. You should have known he'd take advantage of your disability sooner or later. Shatter the pretty illusion you've both been building around you. (You just wish it didn't hurt so goddamn much.)

"Bastard!"

"Asshole," he corrects, and it's more than you can bear.

Choke on the words building up in your throat. _Please,_ you beg with your eyes. _Please don't look. Please please please just let me-_

But he doesn't. "These ?" he asks when he has a firm grip on one of your ankles. You don't look. (You _can't._ ) "You think I can do better than these ankles?" Your feet twitch when he runs his fingers over your soles, the most motion they have. You cover your face with your hands as he moves up, tracing the twisted scars up your calves. "Stupid," he accuses, quiet and hoarse. "To think I could do better than you."

Your breath shudders out of you on a tremor that shakes your whole body and you break out in a cold sweat. Your heart strangles you with fear, with the anticipation of rejection because Daiki deserves _so much more._ (He's wanted more before. Looked before and you're even less to look at now.)

He pauses, waits until your shaking eases. And then makes it even worse by pressing his lips to the mangled flesh over your knee and it's all you can do not to throw up. "Alyssum flower," he says nonsensically. You don't ask, but he either senses your confusion or intended to answer from the start. "Worth beyond beauty." His breath is hot against your skin and his touch feels like electricity.

Your chest heaves for breath and you open your mouth but can't say anything.

His fingers caress the back of your knee as carefully as a flower petal, lips trailing to your thigh. "Balsam," he says against your skin as you tremble under him. "Ardent love." Fingers slipping up under your shirt to trail across the ropey scars on your stomach and drawing hitching breaths from your struggling lungs. "I love you."

You gasp in a desperate breath of too-hot air as he pulls away at last- and then it freezes in your throat as he starts over again with your other foot. It's paradise. It's torture. It's too much and not enough and _Daiki_ and you never want it to end. You pant shortly and twist your fingers in the sheets below you as flames begin to lick under your skin and flicker over your mind, melting any resistance.

He kisses and licks and nips his way up your leg, trails his fingers across the jagged scars on your abdomen and send butterflies sparking to life in your stomach. Murmurs 'I love you's against your skin like it's a prayer and it becomes harder to disbelieve with each repetition. It's more than you ever thought you'd have since you woke up in the hospital and you want even more but-

You bite your lips because it's too much and you whimper his name like it's your last breath. _"Daiki."_

"Shh," he soothes. "Let me love you."

You look at him, you can't _not,_ and the heat in his eyes erases the last doubts, leaves no room at all for them. Love and heat and _want_ and your muscles clench. You nod. You watch him as he worships your body, traces his tongue across a scar and all you can think about is how incredibly _hot_ his mouth his. A kiss here, a sharp nip there that makes your muscles jump and pulls a gasp from your lips. The look in his eyes is never anything less than devotion, nothing less than pure need.

The heat and tension inside you pushes and ebbs like an ocean tide, and just as implacable. Daiki's breath tickles hot across your bare stomach and you tangle your hand in his hair before you can stop yourself. You feel him smile against you.

It overtakes you all at once and you arch with a soft cry. Daiki doesn't stop, and your skin is even more sensitive afterward, pushes you faster toward the next crest. You lose track of the way his name falls from your lips. A curse, a request, begging and asking and offering all at once. "Daiki. Daiki. _Daiki!"_ _I love you. I love you so much it hurts. Oh, god, I love you._

He kisses away the tears tracking silently down your cheeks, kisses your eyelids and your temples before resting his forehead against yours.

"Calla lily," he whispers to you. "Magnificent beauty." Your heart is trapped in your throat, and you don't have the will to do anything but believe every word he says. "Red camellia. You are the flame of my heart." You can't look away from his eyes and the impossible emotions there. "White camellia. You're adorable. Perfect loveliness." His fingers trail over your cheek, touch soft and reverent. "I love you. I love everything about you. Your ridiculously painted toes, your fire." His lips quirk up in a way that makes your heart flutter. "Even your itty bitty titties."

"Jerk," you sniffle. Wrap your arms around him and pull him close, spilling your laughter into his mouth. "I love you."

His arms hold you together when you feel like you're falling apart and home is and will always be here in Daiki's arms for you. He tightens his hold on you like he's afraid to let go. "I will never be able to do better than you. But you- _You_ could do better. God, [Y\n], you could do so much better than a philandering bastard like me."

You can't help but snort, hiding your smile against his chest. "Philandering? Did you pick up that word from Satsuki?"

"Would you- I'm trying to be serious here!"

"Is it working?" He gives you the most unamused look you've ever seen on his face. It's something less than intimidating. "Asshole," you chide.

His lips twitch into a smile against his will. "It's Aomine, actually."

It always has been. From that very first day when he saw your cookie and raised you a donut and smiled at you. _"I like a woman who isn't afraid to eat."_

You close your eyes. "Just don't- I don't want you to stay because of pity."

"I do." You look up at him and he doesn't hesitate, doesn't look away. "You didn't push me away in the hospital and I couldn't bring myself to care if it was just because you needed someone to lean on and I happened to be there. I had you in my arms and that was all that mattered. I almost lost you once, I'm not losing you ever again. So pity me if you want, just don't leave."

" _Never._ " The vehemence of your reply surprises you, but you don't regret it for a moment. "Balloon flower. Endless love."

You breathe in the sweat-and-spice scent of him. You make a questioning sound when he sighs and reluctantly pulls away from you. He looks determinedly at the floor. "I need to go change."

You blink uncomprehendingly, then manage to catch sight of the wet spot on the front of his shorts. Your cheeks flame but for the life of you, you can't stop the ear-to-ear smile that blossoms on your face. Your chest fills with liquid light, warm and glowing, and you can't help the pride that makes you sit upright.

Daiki glances at you and then away again. "You're going to drive me crazy," he mutters, but there's a small smile tilting his lips and you feel full to bursting with affection.

You snort delicately. "Better circle the block a couple times, love, it's a short trip."

He grumbles about you all the way out of the room, but he stops and leans doorway on the way back and just watches you. Your turn to look away and beckon him to come to you. He slips into bed and lays half on you, hand hot against your waist and head resting on your collarbone. You soak him in like sunlight, bask in Daiki and his casual affection. (Feel something broken in your chest shift, settle. Heal.)

The silence is warm and comfortable, full of things that need no words.

He draws small, formless nothings on your skin with his fingers for countless precious moments before stilling and laying his hand flat against you. You hear him swallow and then soft, quiet, he says, "I don't have a ring..." Your breath hitches and he traces swirls over the butterflies fluttering in your stomach. "But if you let me, I promise to spend the rest of my life loving you."

All at once, the fog clears away, and you see the future you thought denied to you unfurl before your eyes. A life, love, with Daiki, stretching endlessly into the future and waiting for you, wavering on the premise of one word. A single decision that Daiki lays in your lap along with his heart, his everything.

"Will you marry me?"

You've never wanted something so badly in your life and you can _taste_ it, sweet and bitter on your tongue, close enough to touch. You reach out and grab it in trembling hands. "Yes. With all my heart, yes."

Daiki beams and rolls you over on top of him, grinning up at you with luminescent happiness in his eyes. "You better get walking. I'm not going to have a gimp roller-derby-ing around the church."

It's a _horrible_ thing to say, tactless and uncensored and such a goddamn _Aomine Daiki_ way to try and motivate-slash-cheer you up. You choke on your laughter. "Asshole," you accuse.

"Aomine," he corrects. Pushes your hair back to look into your eyes. "Aomine," he says wonderingly, and you know exactly what he's thinking because you are, too. Mrs. Aomine.

You press your forehead to his and kiss him because it's impossible not to. "I'll walk," you promise against his lips. Swear it. "I'll walk."

xxx


	5. Chapter 5

It hurts. Daiki's never been so handsome as he is in his wedding yukata and it takes your breath away.

You swallow the lump in your throat and try to quell your frantic heart as the church doors open. There's a terrifying moment when you don't think you'll be able to move and then you're sure you won't be able to.

And then you take the first wobbling step. It hurts. (The best kind of pain.) You probably should have waited another month or two, but you honestly couldn't wait even one more day, one more hour. One more step.

Sakura toddles behind you, the cheerful three-year-old taking her flower-girl duties very seriously. With a daisy chain crown resting atop her cotton floss pink locks, she's the spitting image of her mother, and Satsuki waves at you both from her spot as your maid of honor.

Another step. Your legs shake but hold. You pull your shoulders back and let out a hard breath. Another step. It's hard to trust in the happiness. Beyond the disbelief of _being here._

So many late nights spent helping Daiki drill for his tests in the police academy. Nights spent waiting up for him so he'd have a warm meal when he got home. Spent crying on the floor because your legs hurt so much you couldn't sleep. Of fighting through the pain to take just. One. More. Step.

You stumble on the last step, reaching out for Daiki automatically and he catches you, like he always catches you, helping you up the steps of the dais, and you let him. (The burden is so much less when you share it, and you're strong enough to do that now.)

You stand there facing him and the beauty of the church and the pink light filtered through the sakura petals outside all fade from your mind as you look into his eyes and see everything you've ever wanted staring back at you. You barely hear your officiator and neither of you have any vows prepared. You don't need them. Everything that can be said you already have. Everything you could put into words is right there in your eyes.

Well, everything but one thing.

You shiver with accomplishment and it takes a lot not to cry in happiness. "I walked." Eight years and seven months after the night that almost stole your future, you walk down your wedding aisle to the love of your life. The longest road of your life.

You let out a watery laugh when Daiki closes his eyes and a few tears escape. But he smiles at you and there are not words for the emotions in his eyes. Love, devotion, determination. "Never doubted you."

No, he never did. Maybe you could have done it without him, but you would never want to. The easiest thing about Daiki is falling in love with him. Everything else? Your disagreements, your personal faults, your _relationship_. It's never, _ever_ been easy. But it has always - _always_ \- been worth it. Every single, painful, step of the way.

There's no way to say it and you don't try. Just wrap your arms around his neck and kiss him with everything in you.

Wild applause and cheering break you two apart and Daiki snickers, wrapping his arms around your waist and picking you up to twirl you around.

"Asshole!" you screech and grab his shoulders.

"Aomine," he corrects as he sets you back on your feet.

Your heart is going to burst you swear. Beam up at him and kiss him again. "Aomine," you concede.

You throw your bouquet (arbutus, thee only do I love) into the crowd and laugh when Aida Riko blinks in astonishment at the flowers in her hands. Daiki sweeps you up and out of the church with you laughing and batting at him all the way.

Your hands never separate on the drive to your new house, and Daiki holds open the door for you to get out of the car, full of pride and chivalry that looks much more settled on the man you love than the boy you fell for so long ago.

You both pause before the door. "Do I get to carry you over the threshold?"

You shake your head and twine your fingers with his. You finally have the chance to stand beside him and you're not giving it up now.

You've earned this moment.

You smile up at your husband with all the love in your heart. "I'll walk."

And with Daiki at your side, over the threshold and into your future, you do.

XXX


End file.
